


the lights on his face

by KeroseneShowers



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: F/F, Festival Culture, M/M, Recreational Drug Use, idk okay, too many music references
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-11
Updated: 2014-10-08
Packaged: 2018-02-16 23:22:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2288366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KeroseneShowers/pseuds/KeroseneShowers
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Levi, music photographer, keeps running into the same group of trashed-out misfits at these stupid EDM shows.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Man, I don't know, guys. I woke up one morning and thought, "How can I defile my OTP today?"
> 
> I don't have an excuse for this. Don't look at me. This is ridiculous. At least it will only be 2/3 chapters at most.
> 
> (Even though this is silly, I'm a slightly pretentious dudebro when it comes to dubstep, I'm very sorry)

His job is a frat boy's wet dream, scoring free media passes to the biggest EDM festivals in the state, all in exchange for a memory card's worth of photos. Panoramic crowd shots of colorful, cool kids screaming behind black stage barriers; elaborate light set-ups like the Mau5Cube, the Giant Head, and even Daft Punk's infamous LED Pyramid - yeah, that was fun while it lasted. DJ shots as well, with the token crucifixion pose as they stand on top of their mixing booths, reveling in the raucous cheers of the crowd (of course, some DJs do this without Levi asking, that's good, but the lesser-known guys don't know the drill yet, and chain-smoking through your set makes for boring-as-fuck photos).

Levi initially went into music photojournalism for the guitarists. The theatrics at rock shows. Because when a musician lifts up their instrument with one hand, into the bright lights during a riff or a solo -- that's when magic happens. Muse is Levi's favorite band to shoot for this reason, hands down. But EDM shots pay more. They're more colorful. More obvious. More pretty people doing outrageous things as opposed to just standing around like awe-stricken cattle, like at other shows.

In the past two years, Calvin Harris and Avicii have made sure electronic music is here to stay. So, fine. The genres definitely aren't Levi's cup of tea but it only takes ten, maybe fifteen minutes of a DJ set to get the photos he needs for _Trost Weekly_. Levi's learned how to make do.

Tonight the assignment is a music festival one city down from Trost, but it's garnered enough hype for the past two months that the magazine _has_ to cover it. Bassnectar's headlining. Nice guy from what Levi's seen, even if his long, grungy hair masks his face in every photo taken of him.

Levi enters the media pit ten minutes prior to set time, and scopes out a good position for himself to stand in, since it'll get chaotic once the music begins, even in the press area. He introduces himself to the biggest yellow-shirted event security guard by the barriers - _Name's Reiner_ , and shakes his hand. Idly chats about the drive back home and getting back to Trost before 2 AM, hopefully, if everything goes smoothly. When Reiner leaves to talk to a couple other guards, Levi starts scanning the crowd for potential shots. Everyone's looking good and looking happy, save for one or two cases of dropping-too-many-pills. It's a promising night. Levi does one final check to make sure he's got enough memory left on the camera.

The roar of the crowd comes first. Levi gets ready. Bright red lights are next, and then he hears the music rev up like an engine. Kick-drum, kick-drum, kick-drum. _Bass_. The crowd gets louder. The lights burn brighter. The DJ puts one hand in the air and Levi gets one shot down.

_I do what I wanna do, wanna do._

Everyone behind the barrier starts swaying, moving. Hearts made out of kandi-covered hands go up. Hands everywhere. Photographers are moving on Levi's side, snapping left and right.

Levi takes a couple more shots of the booth - hopefully the laser lights will translate on film. He's getting into the groove of the gig. _Snap_. _Snap_. The music is building, and that means the first drop of the set is coming up, so he digs into the camera bag he's holding and swiftly grabs the fish-eye lens. He's done this so often, his movements are mechanical now. That's why he takes the best shots. At least, he likes to thinks so.

He needs shots of people losing their heads at that first drop. Levi swings round to face the crowd, and catches two young women swapping spit in front of him. The black-haired one is wearing a red scarf and a red glittery brassiere to match. The brunette is wearing a twin ensemble, the color an alluring olive-green.

_Make some NOISE._

It's an intimate moment, or maybe the girls are just wrapped up in an MDMA mist, so Levi doesn't photograph them. But the blond next to them, wearing plastic neon-blue glasses without lenses, leans into Levi's camera view and smiles.

But, _no_. It's the guy next to _him_ that catches Levi's full attention.

Now _here's_ a case of dropping-too-many-pills, or... Well, Levi can't tell for sure. But the guy is jumping, his off-white sleeveless "PLURNT" shirt rubbing against the barrier. Backwards hat on, eyes wide and glaring. Jumping up and down, hands elevating higher and higher as the bass is about to..

_MAKE. SOME..._

Levi readies his camera.

_NOISE._

The lights flicker green, dancing on everyone's faces, and everyone screams. Levi snaps away as the guy's mouth drops at the sudden rush of bass that barrels through the crowd. The guy pumps his hands in the air, and then bounces them along with the beat, his entire body jumping up and down. Excitement incarnate. Meanwhile the blond next to him just closes his eyes and sways.

Everything that follows is instantaneous.

Levi notices the guy's hands grip the top of the barrier, and thinks for a second that his jumps are getting higher, bigger, when suddenly Levi feels the wind knocked out of him, and his camera is flung from his hands.

Panic. Fucking _chaos_.

His camera is on the floor, _fucking shit_ , someone's dropped his camera. Photographers clear out, and Levi looks up in time to see Mr. PLURNT standing over him, looking upward into Bassnectar's booth like meeting God at the gates. Then he looks down at Levi on the floor, and gives him a wide grin.

"YOU!! YOU'RE OUTTA HERE!!"

Mr. PLURNT and Levi look to the right. It's Reiner, twisted face of fury as he charges through photojournalists and the VIP section like a bull.

"Oh shit," the guy says, and runs in the opposite direction. Reiner takes off in a sprint, and Levi waits for him to pass before picking himself and his camera up off the floor.

He checks for surface damage.

Yeah. His lens is broken.

His lens is _fucking_ broken.

"Really? Again?" he hears, and looks back at the crowd. The girl with the red scarf is looking in the direction where Reiner and the other guy ran off.

"Again?" Levi hears himself ask.

The blond answers him. "Yeah, he's done this before. Hey, are you okay?"

Levi wants to smack them all in the face. He roughly straightens his jacket and looks away.

"No."  
  


* * *

  
Levi gets back to Trost a little after midnight, having left the festival as soon as he had his literal run-in with the frat-raver (At least that's what he's assuming about the guy. Really, though, what kind of asshole  _jumps_ a barrier?).

His lens is broken; he'll have to borrow one from Erwin until he can afford a new one. But he supposes the damage could have been worse. When he gets home, he walks into his study-slash-photo room and opens up his laptop to check his shots.

Not a whole fucking lot. He clicks through them in annoyance. Some DJ shots are okay... _will_ be okay once he starts editing.

Levi sifts through more photos and then gets to Mr. PLURNT's face.

Levi had caught him during the bass drop; he's wide-eyed, slack-jawed, and the fish-eye capture makes his face look rounder. He looks like a grown child, big-headed kid looking up into God's eyes. Or being given the last cookie in the cookie jar. His green eyes pop out like stars, matching the lasers beaming from the stage. Everyone else around him falls to the wayside.

It's... It's a nice picture, actually.  
  


* * *

  
Three weeks later, Levi's assigned to shoot a block party in Trost. Some big names on the flyer, too. Zed's Dead, Diplo.... but the magazine just wants a slideshow, some shitty list with photos of the _Prettiest People Out in Trost This Week._ Nothing backstage. Levi wanders the grounds and shoots mostly women, because that's what the editor is asking for, honestly.

The stage is loud enough from even hundreds of yards away. Zed's Dead might be winding down; it's nearing 10:00, and they're playing that one hit of theirs, some remix of a popular _Twilight_ song or something (yeah, he might hate this music, but he's heard it often enough at this point to know the hits sometimes).

Parts of the crowd are dispersing, while others are filing in for Diplo's set coming up next. Levi looks around for people that are calm, that _don't_ look like they're on a mad dash for a good spot in the crowd.

He sees a black-haired girl a couple feet away from him, wearing high-waisted shorts and aimlessly dancing to the beats wafting through the area. He walks over to them, calls out, "Hey. Picture?" and raises his camera.

She fully turns in his direction to regard him, and he quickly recognizes her from weeks back. The girl with the red brassiere.

He recognizes her, because Levi still has the photo of her friend on his computer. Mr. PLURNT, with the wide, green, dilated eyes. The reason why he's tacked on twice the assignments this month to pay for a new camera lens.

She doesn't give off that he looks familiar to _her_ , however. Her girl friend (or girlfriend?), is with her too, her frame clad in a tight, denim romper with a flower crown adorning her head. She had been hidden behind Ms. High-Waisted Shorts. The brunette grins, pulls the black-haired girl into an embrace and they pose.

Levi takes their photo.

"What's your website?" the brunette asks.

Levi hesitates. "Trost Weekly."

"Trost Weekly? Holy shit!"

"Sasha! Mikasa!"

Levi turns around and it's... the blond boy again. This time, _he's_ the one wearing a backwards cap, and wearing a black Underworld shirt. A cigarette stub is between his fingers and he flicks it to the ground, along with other butts and festival trash, like water bottles and discarded paper plates.

"Have you seen Eren?" he asks.

"In the front," the black-haired girl answers.

"Armin, come take a picture. Hey, photo guy! Can we do one more?" the other one calls.

It's when they start posing that the blond guy, Armin, narrows his eyes and squints at Levi, getting a closer look.

"Hey, weren't you at Rose Fest a couple weeks ago?"

Levi takes the photo, lowers his camera and looks down at his screen. "Yeah," he answers. "I was. Your other friend with you?"

"Eren?" the black-haired girl asks. "What's it to you?"

"Mikasa..." Armin starts.

"He broke my fucking lens when he pulled that shit he did," Levi says, not even trying to hide the resentment in his voice.

Armin's eyes grow wide. "Oh, wow. Really? He didn't mean it, man. He was just --"

"He was coked the _fuck_ out," the brunette girl, Sasha presumably, interrupts with a laugh. Mikasa nudges her in the ribs. "What? He was! I've never _seen_ him so blasted."

_Let's get FREAKY_.

The stage gets a new burst of energy. "Diplo," Sasha yells, and takes Mikasa's hand as she drags them along to the stage. They disappear among the crowd in seconds.

Levi rolls his eyes and is ready to find another group of kids to shoot when Armin tentatively approaches him. He rubs the back of his neck as he speaks. "Hey, look. I'm sorry about Eren. He... gets a little rowdy sometimes."

Levi snorts.

"Yeah, I know," Armin continues. "That sucks about the camera, I'd be pissed too. Do you have a card, or anything? I can let Eren know and he'll definitely replace your lens if that's what you want."

Levi's not sure how to respond. The blond kid seems friendly enough. The others, not so much. But it was worth a shot, especially considering how tired and worn out he'd felt these days, spending long hours editing photos on his laptop and at Erwin's.

Levi releases a breath through his lips. "Yeah," he says. "Yeah, fine." He digs into his jeans, fishes out a business card, and hands it over to Armin.

"Cool," Armin says, examining the card in his hand. "Levi, is it? I'll make sure Eren gets this, okay? Nice to meet you." He extends his hand and Levi shakes it. Armin's shake is impressively strong. "I'm sorry again about that."

"Just control your friend," Levi answers.

Armin smiles. "I will," he promises.  
  


* * *

**  
[???]:** hey so armin gave me your number..... apparently i broke something of yours??

**[???]:** like a camera? dude i'm sorry

**[???]:** hello?? this is eren. levi?  
  


* * *

 

Levi wakes up and reads the three texts. He should respond.

But he doesn't.  
  


* * *

  
The next big music assignment is a month after that. Titan Arts & Music Festival. Lasts for two weekends, and every big-name artist of the year will be there, along with seasoned, classic acts of all music genres. This is one of Levi's favorite festivals to shoot  _because_ of its diversity. Plus, the promoters treat press like royalty, and he gets to go home after the two weeks with a swag bag filled with Apple products and high-end sunglasses.

Levi brings Erwin with him when this festival rolls around, his best friend with an affinity for the old-school retro things in life. He swears by Kraftwerk and vinyls, and the man's even built his own dark room at his place, having gotten into photography around the same time as Levi did (though it's more of a hobby for the man than anything).

When Erwin can get time off work, and Levi can get the hook-ups, he gives Erwin a free pass for these festivals. Erwin's lived through a couple decades of music now though, so he often sits in the back of the press pit, or lingers all the way at the end of the music tent by the speakers, silently bobbing his head to whatever artist is playing.

On the first night, after shooting Arcade Fire, Erwin tells him he wants to check out Fatboy Slim at the dance tent. Levi agrees because he's a big-name DJ that he needs photos of as well.

They make it a half-hour late to his set, though it's definitely not as rowdy as, say, Skrillex (he's on Sunday, tomorrow, and _fuck_ , that's going to be a pain in the ass). There are only a couple photographers left in the pit in front of the barriers. Levi takes photos of the stage while Erwin calmly grooves to the house beats off to the side.

Everything is going well. At this rate, they can go back to their hotel relatively early, and Levi can get started on editing. He turns to the crowd for a shot and -

Life has a weird sense of humor.

"Erwin," Levi calls and glances behind him. Erwin looks from the stage to Levi, and acknowledges him with a tilt of his head.

"Erwin!" he calls louder. "It's the fucking prick that broke my lens."

Erwin takes a couple steps toward him and looks to the direction Levi is currently glaring to. Mr. PLURNT - or _Eren_ , apparently - is back in the front, _again_ , though this time looking far less animated than Levi last saw him. He's resting his head in his hands, and apathetically nodding it back and forth to the beat of the music. Levi then notices Armin, excitedly dancing in between the throng of bodies around him.

"The brunette?" Erwin asks.

"Yeah."

As if Eren could sense their conversation, he lifts his head and glances over to them.

He looks confused.

Eren shifts his eyes, looks back at Levi to see if he's still staring, and then nudges Armin. He whispers something in Armin's ear, and Armin stops dancing to look over at Levi as well. The recognition is obvious, and Armin whispers something back to Eren, eyes still locked on Levi.

Everyone is uncomfortably staring at each other.

"His blond friend is cute," Erwin comments.

Levi looks up at him. "You're fucking gross. Because he looks like you when you were that age?"

"Yeah. When only the music mattered. Look, he's wearing a Chemical Brothers shirt," Erwin says. "And he looks like he's enjoying this the most out of anyone here. He's got good taste, Levi."

Armin suddenly waves to Levi, cheeky grin on his face. Eren awkwardly waves too, obviously confused as to why he's waving at an apparent stranger.

"Do you want to greet them?"

"No," Levi says. "Let's go," and he pulls Erwin out of the media pit.  
  


* * *

  
"Erwin. You're fucking embarrassing me."

"Why?"

Levi doesn't respond, because for some strange fucking reason, Erwin has decided to wear the tightest shirt he owns the next day, a black distressed Basement Jaxx shirt that wants to rip itself off his chest and arms.

"I'm pretending I don't know you," Levi yells over the noise. Skrillex is ten minutes into his set, but it's still a damn rampage. Levi's already gotten an elbow to his ribs from a fellow photographer -- a guy working at rival magazine _The Trost_ , so he's pretty sure that wasn't an accident -- and every rough jolt from the overcrowded media pit keeps his camera from focusing. Levi's resorting to the "snap-and-look-later" method, a strategy he fucking hates. Not as professional as he likes.

And even though the pit is still crazy and Levi is physically holding his ground as best he can, Erwin decides _now_ that he has to hover in the front with him, breathing over his neck by the barrier instead of hanging out by the back. It's actually proving fruitful, since Erwin is a fucking tree and guards Levi from getting elbowed again. But Levi knows there's an ulterior motive. Erwin doesn't even _like_ Skrillex.

"You don't even like Skrillex," Levi says. Point, click. Point, click.

"I thought you were ignoring me," Erwin responds.

"Why are you here, Erwin? Don't answer that, I fucking know you. That blond kid won't be back in the front again." Levi cranes his neck and haphazardly shoots more photos as he looks up at his friend. "Do you see this insanity? Front barrier for this is imposs --"

"There he is," Erwin says, placing a hand on Levi's shoulder. Levi looks at the direction Erwin mentions and --

Holy fuck.

"How the fuck do they keep doing that?" Levi angrily asks. He watches Armin reach out his hands past the barrier, cheering.

_Fight 'til we can't fight. Everybody's all right_.

And there's Eren, jumping up and down as high as he can again, despite being smushed between people in every direction. The people around him look annoyed. Angry even. One frat-looking guy with frosted tips to his hair looks about ready to fight over Eren's violent dancing. Levi isn't even surprised.

"Insane," Levi says with a snort. "Do you see this, Erwin? These kids are --"

Levi turns around. Erwin is... suddenly gone.

The beat drops and Levi's confused as all hell.

* * *

  
"Where the hell did you go?" Levi asks him at the end of the night. He'd finished trying to get a good shot a couple minutes after Erwin's disappearance, being pulled back and forth like a doll from ravenous photographers. So he left the pit, found something to eat, and waited until Erwin met him at their rendezvous point.

"I just went into the crowd," he says with a shrug, though he's looking down at his phone.

Levi carefully observes him with squinted eyes. He looks sweaty, that's for certain. But other than that, he seems... _innocent_. Faultless. For now, at least.

Somewhat satisfied with his assessment, Levi gestures for them to leave. "Let's go, big guy."

Erwin follows him silently. Levi waits for a couple seconds before speaking again.

"And burn that fucking shirt when we get back to the hotel. It's awful."

* * *

  
It takes a couple days for Levi to piece everything together.

His suspicions are raised when Erwin grows eerily attached to his iPhone. It's by his side during breakfast, when they're poolside at their hotel, at dinner... even when Erwin treats them to the hotel's spa package.

It's Wednesday evening when everything finally clicks. Levi and Erwin are casually watching TV on the couch, and Levi is curled up into himself, reading an email on his laptop from his editor, telling him what bands and artists to focus on for the second weekend of the festival.

"Levi," Erwin says, breaking the comfortable silence.

Levi grunts in response, not bothering to look up from his work.

"How many people can you sneak into media access?"

Levi shrugs and rubs the back of his neck with a sigh. His gaze casually flicks away from his laptop's screen. "I don't know, actually. We're a big publication, so they make sure to scratch our backs so we can scratch theirs. I'd say... Maybe three, possibly four. I know Auruo is here shooting too, and he likes taking advantage of shit like that. Don't like being a prick like him about it, though. Why?"

"Curiosity," Erwin replies.

Levi shrugs again and gets back to reading his emails.

Fifteen seconds pass before he _gets_ it. Levi fucking _gets_ it, and he quickly looks over to Erwin who looks deep in thought, sending text messages on his phone, his lower half of his body draping off the couch.

"Wait," Levi says. Erwin glances at him. " _Wait_. Erwin, why are you asking? Why are you asking,  _really_?"

"Like I said, it's curiosity," Erwin says, but Levi can hear the slight defensive tone his voice takes.

Levi sneers. "Who have you been texting all week, Erwin? _Fuck_. I know what you're gonna ask. I know it. So just do it already. I can't _believe_ I didn't see this coming. Fucking hell. I'm never taking you to one of these things again."

Erwin sighs. "Calm down, Levi. It's not a big deal. Just two more passes, is all I'm asking."

"Uh huh," Levi sardonically responds. "Give me names. I dare you to say them. Go on, Erwin. How did you even..." Levi snorts.

Erwin takes his time with his answer. "Armin Arlert. Eren Jaeger. They're both over 21, and they both would really appreciate it if you could do this."

"And what about you, Erwin?"

Erwin hesitates again. "I... would appreciate it, too, Levi."

Levi knows he's going to say yes, even if he's playing the cynical, sarcastic, "can't-fucking-believe-you" card. He shakes his head, in hopes that it would shame Erwin, though the man doesn't look too ashamed about any of this. He offers Levi a smile. Levi rolls his eyes.

"Yeah. I'll hook them up. But you owe me, Erwin."

"Of course."

"And I won't play babysitter to that Eren kid while you frolic with the other."

Erwin doesn't immediately answer. Levi is about to hurl more insults at him, but it's then that the man finally speaks up.

"You have my word."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> boys noize - & down.mp3
> 
> Or, alternative summary: DANCE DANCE DANCE........ yeaaauuh. (!! Slight, SLIGHT eremin in this chapter !!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At one point during writing this, I had to take a break and messaged my friend with: "EREN HAS RUN AWAY FROM ME." Take that as you will. smh. what this
> 
> ~~(MOOMBAHTON WILL NEVER DIE)~~

**[???]:** Hey Levi! This is Armin, Erwin gave me your number. Thank you so much for the media passes for this weekend, you have no idea what this means to us. Let us know where to meet you for the first day of the festival, and what we can possibly do to show our gratitude. Seriously! Thanks a lot again! See you this weekend! :)

**[Levi]:** No problem. See you this weekend.

* * *

**  
[Mr. PLURNT]** dude r u really gonna hook us up with media passes

**[Mr. PLURNT]** that's fucking sick man

**[Mr. PLURNT]** still sorry about the camera i apparently broke too, was that a new one you were using last weekend or...?

**[Levi]:** No.

**[Mr. PLURNT]:** oh... that's cool then. thanks for the passes

* * *

  
It's all awkward handshakes and long pauses when they convene in front of the Titan Festival gates for the second weekend: _Levi, meet Armin-no, I've already met Armin. Oh... Well, everyone, meet Eren Jaeger. Eren, this is Erwin. And Eren... This is Levi._

No matter what Erwin had said, the meet-and-greet definitely feels like a double-date. Unfortunately. Levi ends up gripping Eren's hand as tight as he can when he shakes it as a means to repel him, and the wince he sees in Eren's eyes is rewarding.

Surprisingly it's not the dance tent they all want to head to first. The three tag along with Levi to every artist he has to shoot for the weekend. It's an eclectic mix of music since he's covering all the smaller, lesser-known bands this time around; indie-pop princesses, acoustic folk, and A$AP Mob.

Levi enjoys this first part of the day, because not only does Erwin keep to his word about ditching him, but none of them even _try_ talking to him as he's shooting musicians. It's more than perfect. Erwin can schmooze and show off all he wants in front of the two kids but Levi's still got work to do.

Eventually the sun starts to set. The weather cools down and Fatboy Slim's set time rapidly approaches. It’s around then that Erwin and Armin “ _mysteriously_ ” disappear. After shooting Lorde at the main stage, Levi heads to the end of the media pit where he thinks he's left them and finds only Eren, crouched down on the ground and looking bored as fuck.

"The other two are gone?"

Eren looks up and nods. He fixes the grey beanie on his head and stands, brushing his pants off of any dirt they've accrued. "Dance tent, probably."

"You didn't join them because...?"

Eren shrugs. "Not that into Fatboy Slim. Not bass-y enough for me, it gets boring real fast. Hey, are you done for tonight? You wanna go grab a beer at the beer garden?"

Levi takes his time responding, looks at the stage, at his camera, and then back at Eren. He shakes his head. "Can't. Have to shoot Empire of the Sun at the second stage."

"Cool," Eren says. "I'll come with."

Levi didn't exactly invite him though...

The atmosphere at the second stage is... _interesting_. The music is lively, though not as hard or fast-paced as the music Eren might be used to... or at least Levi assumes so. He examines the audience, concludes that they could ideally look more _awake_. But everyone is still moving, vibing to the music, raising their hands into the air to the catchy electropop the band is playing. And every member of the group on stage is in an elaborate costume. Some futuristic Egyptian garb that looks expensive and flashy. Levi hadn't been expecting this.

He's glad for the costumes though, especially glad for the lighting that's adorning the stage in a pure blue color that will undoubtedly make all of the gold designs of the musician's costumes pop out. He just needs to set up his camera for the stage, fix the aperture, shutter speed....

He suddenly turns to look at Eren, and finds an unexpected image: Eren, dancing along with the crowd and music. He’s moving his feet, left, right, back and forth, shimmying with his arms swinging around his sides. Levi raises an eyebrow. They haven't even been here that long.

"Oi," he sharply says.

Eren's gaze lands on Levi and he starts to slow down his movements. "Huh? Oh... Wanna danc-"

"No," Levi cuts in. What? He... _No_.

Levi suppresses a sigh. "I need to adjust my camera settings. Can you step in front of me to take a few test shots?"

Eren eagerly nods just as the next song picks up; soft guitars first, followed immediately by the crowd's overwhelming cheer. Eren stands in front of the stage and keeps still with a smile on his face. Levi takes a photo and quickly looks at the preview.

The settings are still too dark to his liking. Eren is completely bathed in a dark, dull blue.

He looks back and gets ready for another shot. Eren stays still, but starts moving again once he sees that Levi's taken the shot.

_We are the people that rule the world._

Levi frowns at the picture, even though this second shot looks significantly better than the last. He can at least distinguish Eren's green eyes from all the blue lights surrounding him now. He adjusts more settings on the camera; raises this, lowers that. Soon, he's ready for another shot.

But Eren is _still_ dancing. Levi takes a shot, another, and then another, his brows furrowing when he realizes that in all his photos, Eren's in motion (not that Levi doesn't capture him crisply each time).

_Got lost in your eyes…_

"Stop moving," Levi calls out.

_I can't do well when I think you're gonna leave me, but I know I try_.

Eren is animated, laughs, and gives Levi a spin, purposely dancing like a fucking dumbass, arms moving like stoic members of a marching band. Or like a chicken. There. He's dancing like a fucking chicken, Levi thinks.

"Can't stop, won't stop!" Eren answers him. "Shouldn't I be moving, anyway? You know, since the band is? Come on, take some pictures, man."

Levi waits for him to settle down, tries giving him the best glare he can muster among all the upbeat synths surrounding them, but Eren gives him a spin again, dance moves getting sillier and sillier as the song goes on. At one point Eren holds on to his flimsy belt buckle, thrusts his hips in an unattractive movement. He does jumping jacks, too. Eren does the _fucking_  running man, and at that point, looks like he's not planning on stopping any time soon.

He sighs, defeated.

And continues snapping.

* * *

  
The rest of the night is tame. Erwin and Armin find them first, and then it's dull, prolonged silence, cold night air, and the unspoken inkling that the two blonds may have done more than dance tonight (if their puppy eyes between them indicate anything, of course).

Regardless, the two men depart from the 20-something-year-olds at the end of the night. During the drive back to the hotel, Levi has to ask.

"Anything perverse happen?"

"Of course not," Erwin answers. "How were those two hours alone with Eren though? I'm sorry we got separated for a bit."

Levi shrugs as he keeps his eyes on the road. "He's weird, obviously. He broke my lens."

"Tonight?"

"No... I mean a couple months back."

"Armin told me he offered to pay you for it. You never took him up on his offer."

Silence. Levi stays quiet and drives.

Erwin changes the subject. "Any nice shots today, at least?"

"Camera's in the back if you want to look through them," Levi answers. From his peripheral, he sees Erwin shift in his seat, upper half twisting to reach for Levi's Nikon in the backseat. The man eventually settles back in his seat, and Levi starts to brake for the approaching streetlight ahead that's just turned yellow.

"Nice," he hears Erwin mutter. "Nice..."

The car comes to a complete stop and Levi taps two fingers on the top of the steering wheel.

Suddenly, Erwin barks with laughter. "Whoa. That's interesting."

Levi makes a noise, and Erwin tilts the preview screen toward Levi's face. Levi makes sure the light in front of them is still red, and then peers over to see what's on -

Huh.  
  
Erwin's reached the test shots with Eren. Levi obviously remembers taking them, sure, but at one point he had completely stopped paying attention to the guy in front of him, especially since he had started frivolously dancing to his own accord.

The shot Erwin stops at has Eren dead center, blue hues all around him that remarkably fail to mute his presence. His grey beanie is snug on top of his head, his shirt in slight motion that a sliver of his midriff, tan and slim, is exposed. Eren's smiling - no, he's _grinning_ , caught in the middle of a laugh with his hands by his chests, both index fingers pointed up to the sky. Levi _does_ remember Eren making finger-guns, but he didn't realize he had actually caught it.

With a little editing of the light, Levi could honestly submit this photo to Trost Weekly's photo gallery. _The Hottest People out at Titan Festival_.

Levi thinks of this all objectively, of course.

Levi sees the light turn green from the corner of his eye and he steps on the gas, a little more forceful than he intended to. The backs of their heads abruptly crash against their respective headseats.

"I told you," Levi says. "The kid is fucking weird."

"Okay, but it's a really great photo. You always need pictures of people in the crowd, right? Fix the lighting a little and-"

"I'd rather not."

"He's so _animated_ , though, Levi. How can you not see that?" Erwin clicks through more. "These are all great, actually. Why'd you take so many of him if you're not going to use them? Oh... Personal safe-keeping?"

"They were fucking test shots, Erwin," Levi grits, accelerating the car further out of spite. "Get out of my ass."

Erwin laughs, and Levi's temper flares more. "What the fuck is it?"

"Nothing, Levi. You're right. Just test shots."

"Shut the fuck up."

Erwin stays silent for the rest of the car ride.

* * *

  
Erwin knocks out as soon as they get back to their room. But Levi stays up to get started on editing, since he needs to have a handful of shots sent to his editor by morning. He gets the photos ready, edits them, and starts submitting them to the _Weekly_ 's photo room Dropbox. This all takes around an hour, hour and a half, tops.

As he starts the process of sending the files over though, he goes through his folder of photos. Scrolls up, up, until he finds the test shots with Eren.

He can pinpoint the photo Erwin pointed out by the thumbnail, so he opens it and stares.

Because the photo sizes are so large and it's still in the process of being sent, Levi opens up Photoshop and drags Eren's photo in it.

Out of boredom.

Nothing to do at 2 AM, after all.

Levi fixes the levels of the photo. That's all he needs to do, really. It's one of those rare instances where the photo takes itself, hardly needs any editing, not much work done. It's natural.

The photos are finally uploaded and Eren is still staring at him with his cheeky grin.

Levi clicks save, thinks of putting it in his _good_ folder, where he keeps all his other “ _good_ ” photos. But he remembers he’s still got that very first shot of Eren saved right on his desktop. The fish-eye capture. Of Mr. Plurnt.

Levi drags this second photo right next to it, below his  _Google Chrome_ shortcut, and calls it a night.

* * *

  
Levi is unexpectedly alone for most of the next day.

Erwin and Armin have abandoned all pretenses of trying to hide what's happening between them. As soon as all four of them are together, the two blonds start disappearing every twenty minutes, come back for fifteen, and repeat the process. Each time they return, their eyes get more glazed, hair more messy. It's a hot day, and Levi wants to chalk it up to sweat, dehydration -- maybe they keep running off to the beer garden without him. But after a couple hours, Levi's finally had enough, glares at Erwin when he says he'll be _right_ back, and tells him not to bother.

"Just go."

Erwin looks guilty, so at least Levi can appreciate that. "Are you sure? I told you I wouldn't leave you alone with Ere-"

"Go. Seriously. It's better than the shit you're pulling now."

Erwin continues staring at him, and Levi rolls his eyes. "Fuck him in a port-a-potty for all I care. I'm fine. I'll be good."

Erwin finally leaves after that, says thanks, and promises he'll be at the rendezvous point on time. He turns around and heads to a shaded tent, large arm around Armin's shoulders. Disgusting, Levi thinks.

He was _going_ to be okay though, because ten minutes after _they_ leave, Eren follows suit.

"You're really working all weekend, huh?"

Levi doesn't want to reward that with a response. "It _is_ my job, you know," he eventually says. Both of them are waiting by the main stage for the next band to set up.

Eren huffs loudly, runs a hand through his hair, and then flaps his open flannel shirt around. "Damn. I don't wanna go drinking by myself at the beer garden, you know? You can't leave for just one beer?"

Levi shakes his head curtly and turns to look at the stage. But Eren trots forward in front of him, refusing to disappear from Levi's line of sight. "Come on. Levi? Levi... Just _one_ beer. Who do you have to shoot anyway?"

"Ellie Goulding," Levi grits through his clenched teeth. "Move."

"So... no?"

As annoying as Eren's being right now, Levi wouldn't mind a beer or two under normal circumstances. But after Ellie, it's Blood Orange, and a couple other names that his editor emphasized. A break was out of the question for him.

"I really can't," Levi answers, but he expects Eren to keep insisting.

He doesn't though. Eren sighs and Levi sees him frowning. "Fine. But you owe me. And next time you're having a beer with me, I'll pay. To apologize for that lens, right?"

Levi opens his mouth, gets ready to ask why he's assuming there will _be_ a next time, but then the last part of his statements sinks in, and he frowns. An apology? That's... strangely noble. At least coming from Eren. Then again, Levi doesn't really know much about this guy except for his shitty taste in music and dancing.

Levi hesitates. He glances back at the stage and spots all the roadies walking away from the instruments and microphones, having set everything up by now.

So he nods. "Yeah. Next time."

Eren smiles. "Cool. I'll, uh... I'll head out now. See you... soon?"

"Yeah."

Eren leaves, and Levi tries distracting himself by double-checking the settings on his camera. But there's an ugly, tingling sensation in his chest, whose origin is unclear. But he recognizes it, the same feeling he gets when he looks at some of his favorite photos he's taken, specifically the two photos of Eren he's shot-

The crowd starts to cheer, signaling Ellie Goulding's entrance. So he forgets it.

* * *

  
Whatever that feeling was -- is? -- is gone by the end of the night.

Unsatisfied with his shots from last week, Levi's editor had instructed him to head back to see Skrillex for better photos. But Levi had learned his lesson. He'd wait it out until the very last fifteen minutes of the set. After all, the crowd would still be as energetic as they were in the beginning, and with a lot less photographers in the media pit. So he waits, waits, and when he walks in, he gets the shots he needs in under five minutes, right when Skrillex is transitioning to one of his more famous songs.

He's about to leave for the rendezvous point, but then --

"LEVI!!"

Levi turns around and spots Eren across the pit, holding a clear plastic cup of beer - _how the fuck did he sneak beer in to the pit?_ \- and his flannel shirt is on the ground by his Vans. All Eren has on is a white tank top, looking dirtied from sweat and alcohol. And he's clearly drunk as shit, swaying and stumbling in place, the malt liquid spilling from the rim.

Levi looks around for _any_ security guard, finds one a couple feet away from Eren. But while he's staring at Eren's currently poor balance with a stern face, the guard does nothing. He briefly wonders if Eren's bribed any of them.

"LEVI!!" he yells again. Levi's eyes snap back at the jumping figure across the way. Half that beer in his hand is gone by now. Meanwhile, the song is gearing up to drop.

"It's my song!"

Levi doesn't know what to do. He shifts his eyes and shrugs questioningly, as if to say, _what of it_?

Eren lip-syncs to the incoherent lyrics, and then suddenly slams the plastic cup to the ground. He looks at Levi, points two stiff index fingers at him and:

" _YES!! OH MY GOD!!"_

Eren jumps and - _dances_? Levi immediately starts feeling second-hand embarrassment, and cringes as the guy starts a one-man mosh pit with himself, arms flailing about as he jumps in place. The guard by him has finally had enough and straightens up from the barrier he had been leaning on. Levi exhales and quickly walks across.

"Don't worry, I got him," he mutters at the guard, grabs Eren by his shirt, and drags him out. Eren reaches for his flannel shirt still on the floor, but Levi opts to abandon it on the dusty floor instead.

When he meets up with Erwin and Armin, Armin apologizes profusely to him. _I'm sorry, he just doesn't know his limit sometimes._ Eren keeps calling for Levi - _Levi, Levi, did you - you heard my song right? It was so -_ and Erwin offers him an earnest smile. Erwin gives Armin a kiss when they leave, Levi brusquely waves, and when Erwin tries to ask what exactly happened, Levi dismisses him with a hand.

"Forget it. Let's just leave."

* * *

  
Once Levi returns to Trost, his life resumes normality. Local gigs, small events, and artist profiles clog up his work schedule. His assignments are small. His assignments are _simple_ , but that’s always been fine with him. He can appreciate the lull in the workflow for now, after having shot both weekends of the Titan Festival.

What he doesn't appreciate, however, is Erwin falling off the face of the Earth. Not that Levi can't stand being apart from the man for a couple days, but Erwin _is_ his best friend. They at least stay in communication through text messages and Facebook chat daily, but over the course of two weeks, their conversations have been cut short. Erwin apologizes during the first week: _Sorry. Busy catching up with work_. Then the following week, all Levi receives are text photos without context.

The blond finally phones him on the second Friday since the music festival. Levi's in his study/photo room, laptop in front of him, iPhone on his desk. He swiftly picks up.

"Asshole," he greets.

"I know," Erwin says on the other line. "I'm sorry. It's been a busy two weeks."

Levi puts him on speaker and sets the phone down, and continues idly toying with his laptop; closing Photoshop, opening a _Google Chrome_  browser only to close the window when it starts up. He sighs. "Didn't realize you had that much work to catch up on," Levi says. "Should have told me. Thought I did something wrong over here."

"No, you didn't," Erwin answers.

"Cockblocking you at the festival or something," Levi jokes and snorts.

He hears Erwin softly laugh. "Well... it's a little of the opposite, actually."

Levi pauses. "What - How do you mean?"

It's Erwin's turn to hesitate. He clears his throat. "Armin and I are, um... we're dating. It's why I haven't been around much lately."

Levi straightens up in his chair, opens a browser again. "Well, fuck," he eventually says. "Congratulations, I suppose. How'd that happen?"

"I'm still trying to figure that out myself."

They stay silent. Levi closes the browser and starts dragging and clicking his mouse across his wallpaper to make squares.

"So listen, Levi. I need a favor."

Levi gives his phone an incredulous look. "You're not serious."

"I am."

"You barely talk to me for two weeks, appear out of the blue, and you want a favor from me? You've changed, Erwin. Armin's changed you."

Erwin's sigh is loud. "Just listen, Levi. There's an exclusive event down at The Cellar tomorrow. You shoot there frequently, right?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Levi..."

Levi rolls his eyes, despite the fact that Erwin can't see him. "Yes. I do. I have contacts there too, and I can probably get you in. Judging from the way you two hooked up, this is probably another loud fucking headache, right? Bass and lights and shit? I'll have a miserable time. So tell me, Erwin. What the hell am I gonna get out of this?"

"I don't know, Levi," Erwin responds, and Levi's a little surprised at that. He hadn't expected full-blown honesty from the man... _yet_. "I know it's not your idea of fun, but Armin and his friends really want to go to this. And Eren asked for you personally."

" _What?_ "

"He did. You know, I was joking with you back then about him, but whatever you did left an impression on him, I guess-"

"No. Not helping your case. I won't go."

"Levi, he's harmless. From what he said when we were out last week, he wants to -"

"Whoa. Wait a minute. You went _out_ with him? Where?"

"A bar. He and Armin and Mikasa. They're good people. Eren's a pretty funny guy."

Levi then looks at the two thumbnails on his desktop and frowns. He hears Erwin call his name a few times, but Levi ignores him, and instead opens the two photos of Eren he's got saved. Eren wearing a PLURNT nuscle shirt. Eren in the middle of dancing.

Levi concentrates on him, on his face. If he forgets all the background information he has on him thus far, that Eren occasionally gets drunk, jumps around and knocks people over…  Maybe if Levi Photoshops him out of the crowd shots and onto a beach - a park, or a mall... Maybe he can see Eren being a "pretty funny guy."

Levi groans.

"Levi?" Erwin presses.

"Fuck. Fine. I'll do it. How many people?"

* * *

  
The Cellar is on the outskirts of Trost, in the industrial area with all the factories and alleged sweatshops. It's somewhat of a large venue, spacious at least, and looks more like a boiler room than anything. And it's usually reserved for exclusive parties like tonight's. Armin tries explaining it to Levi when they pick him up. "It's kind of a showcase for up-and-coming DJs. A local guy or two are probably spinning first but I hear some people on the Mad Decent label are showing up. It's why Mikasa and Sasha are coming, too."

"They're practically slaves to Mad Decent," Eren chimes in from the back seat, next to Levi.

Levi casually looks over to him. "What about you guys?"

Armin nods from the front. Eren nods and shrugs, fiddling with the car window toggle. "Yeah, Diplo and Major Lazer go pretty hard."

Mikasa and Sasha are waiting at the front of the venue already. Levi shakes their hands and formally introduces himself. Sasha seems friendly; Mikasa does not.

"I heard it's open bar," Sasha exclaims behind Levi, who's leading the way to the front of the line to talk to his contact, Berthold.

"Keep Eren away from the bar then," Mikasa says.

"Oh, I'm not, uh... I'm actually..." Levi hears Eren say tentatively. His tone sparks Levi’s curiosity.

" _Oh_. Be careful."

Levi finally spots the tall owner of the Cellar in front. Berthold gives Levi a wave and gestures for him to come forward, past the velvet rope barrier and through the entrance. "Thanks," Levi curtly says, allowing the others to go first.

The way Armin had described the event, it was supposed to be a dud for the first two hours, so they had arrived fashionably late. It's 11PM now though, and the large room is _hot_ and humid already from bodies dancing. The music isn't dubstep. Not house, not disco. It's a pulsating, deep, sensual rhythm that reminds Levi of Latin music (though that could be because whatever song is playing has Spanish lyrics in it). Levi watches Sasha immediately start moving her hips once she's five steps inside the venue, shimmies, and turns to her girlfriend, gesturing with her fingers to come closer. Mikasa closes in, and Sasha playfully places her hand on Mikasa's waist, grinding against her and dipping low for a couple seconds before laughing and running to the center of the dance floor.

"Catch up with you later!"

"Hey," Eren suddenly calls next to Levi. "It's open bar, but can I pretend to treat you to a beer? I owe you, remember?"

Levi looks to his left to give Erwin a look but - lo and behold, he and Armin have left in an unknown direction. But he had expected that to happen, having them both arrive in matching _Prodigy_ t-shirts. The adorably disgusting electrohead lovebirds.

Levi tries not to frown or scowl at their disappearance. He's not sure how successful he is at that. "Yeah," he answers Eren. "Let's go."

Eren leads them around the venue, crowded with people humping each other, drinks in their hands. The trek to the bar is even worse, and Eren grabs Levi's wrist to maneuver them through groups and to a spot at the bar that _isn't_ packed. When they get to the counter, Eren turns and asks Levi what he'll have, and Levi almost goes for a beer... but it's open bar, so _fuck_ it. "Wild Turkey," he says, so Eren tells the bartender to make him a whiskey-coke.

"You’re in luck, guy had a heavy hand," Eren says as he offers Levi his drink. "Cheers, man."

But Eren's got nothing. "Where's your drink?" Levi asks.

"Not drinking tonight," Eren answers, and his eyes shift away from Levi's gaze as he rubs the back of his neck. "Don't worry about it. Hey, um, you wanna go find the others now?"

Levi stays around Eren all night (save for the two times they go back to the bar to refill his drink), both of them watching the writhing crowd (Jesus, what kind of music was this?) and making comments about it. Occasionally, a song would come on and Eren would yell about loving the "massive tune," and he'd run onto the floor to dance for a while. But he  always returned to Levi's side, against the wall. Levi didn't mind any of this, and appreciated a sober Eren for once. There _was_ a couple on the floor a couple feet away making out with each other which bugged the shit out of him, and Eren had asked to dance a couple times, but....

...Levi wasn't having a _terrible_ time.

Miraculously, the rest of their group ends up finding them around the end of the second-to-last set. Mikasa and Sasha look drenched in sweat, their glittered eyeliner smudged. But a fast-paced song starts to play as soon as they arrive at the back with them, and Sasha runs over to the wall, goes down on her hands, and in an impressive show of body strength, raises her lower half off the ground to place her boots against the club wall.

_Spread your legs, and watch your back, go up and down, and make it clap_.

A couple people around them cheer as Sasha gyrates her hips to the song, ass bouncing in tune to the rhythm. Levi hears Armin - and even Erwin laughing, while Mikasa snaps a photo of the whole thing on her phone.

But Eren's gone.

Levi looks around, almost a little too frantically, and taps Armin on the shoulder when he can't find Eren in the area.

"Where's Eren?"

"Bathroom," Armin answers, and Levi feels stupid for worrying, eventually blaming the three drinks he's had for his concern.

Still, Eren takes his precious time in there. He returns fifteen minutes later, though Levi notices the bottle of water in his hands, and thinks he must have waited in line at the bar to get that.

"You’re back. I was starting to worry," Levi says, hoping it comes off as a joke.

Eren laughs. "I just went to the bathroom. Hey, you're drunk, right? You want to dance now?"

Levi moves away from him and Eren smiles. Armin moves up next to his friend when Levi makes room.

"You missed Sasha getting up on the wall," Armin yells over the music, and grabs the water bottle from Eren's hand.

"Aw, really?" Eren responds.

"Yeah, what was that?" Levi asks, taking a step back in to join the conversation.

Eren licks his lips and there's a sudden shift in his expression that Levi almost misses. "Oh, um. It's some dance..." He runs a hand through his own hair and his fingers linger along a couple strands. His eyes go heavy, and his body starts to rhythmically sway. "Like, um.... You... You go on the wall and... _oh, fuck_."

Levi's concerned again, and he's about to ask Eren if he's all right, when Mikasa pushes Levi aside and cups Eren's face.

"Kicking in?"

Eren nods and reacts warmly to Mikasa's touch, leaning in to her left hand on his cheek.

"What's going on?" Levi asks, only a little irritated at being shoved _and_ ignored.

"What do you think?" Erwin says to him. Levi looks up at him expectantly. Erwin makes a rolling gesture with his index finger, and Levi quickly gets the hint.

So that's why Eren didn't have alcohol.

"A new song is starting," Levi hears Mikasa say. "Dance with me."

Levi sees Eren nod, and Mikasa's hands slowly slide down his face, from his shoulders, and along his arms. Eren is all smiles, and Sasha approaches both of them, energetically moving around to the pulsing beat of the song.

Mikasa grabs Eren's hands, interlocks them with her own and dances, shaking her hips in the same manner that Sasha is. The two women _know_ how to dance to this music. The way they move their hips and asses, their hands seductively running through their long hair would catch anyone's attention. Mikasa slowly lets go of Eren's hand, and starts really moving, and then Eren -

And then _Eren_.

At first he lolls his head, and his hands return back to his hair, massaging his own scalp. But then he begins to roll his hips - _unfathomably_ starts to dance like the girls, eyes closed and face tilted to the ceiling as he makes a show of doing a slow spin to the alarms permeating the song. When the beat steadily picks up, Eren _really_ moves, practically writhing against the air. At one point he starts to lower himself, bending his knees, his ass sticking out for anyone to see, then he raises himself up once the alarms in the song sound again, ass shaking fast, rapidly, in Levi's direction.

Eren is skillful, Eren is sensual, and even though his half-lidded eyes are drug-induced, he and Eren make eye contact when Eren turns, and it's like he's being seduced. Levi wants to take a step forward, inch his way closer until he can feel the heat from Eren's body. Wants to touch him and let Eren's energy pass on to him; he may not like this music but if Eren keeps moving the way he is, hips swaying hypnotically, Levi can get used to--

"Levi," Erwin suddenly states.

Levi snaps away from his thoughts and glances at his friend. "What?"

Erwin eyes him skeptically, gives a passing look over to Eren and then turns to Levi again. "What the hell?"

"What?" Levi repeats more sharply.

Erwin keeps giving them both looks until a smile finally starts to form on his lips. Levi knows the sly look on Erwin's face spells _disaster_ for him.

"No," Levi says, and scowls, arms crossing in front of his chest. He avoids looking at Eren.

"You were practically undressing him with your eyes, Levi."

"Don't be stupid."

Erwin chuckles softly. "If you want, I can-"

"Don't even, you jackass."

"No, really," Erwin says, continuing to tease. "He and I are on friendly terms, so I can put in a good word for you."

Levi shoves Erwin by the arm, not that the movement actually makes the man budge. Instead, Erwin chuckles again, the noise incessant and enraging that Levi almost doesn't realize the music has changed.

He looks over to the stage, and someone new is up on the booth. When he turns back to their group, he sees Mikasa's hands on Eren again, massaging his temples, feeding him his water bottle which he accepts, though he's nervously glancing around.

"Where's the music?"

"It'll be back on right now," Mikasa answers soothingly, and sure enough, the chords of a new tune fill the large room. The crowd cheers, and blue lights shine, penetrating deep, even in the back where they're located.

"It's our song!"

Suddenly Armin steps forward in front of Eren, glances at Mikasa who gets the hint and moves aside.

_I can feel it tonight.... I know I'll catch your eye._

Armin mirrors Mikasa's previous actions, but steps even closer than she did, pressing his forehead against Eren's. There's a jealous pang in the center of Levi's chest, but he tries to ignore it.

But it's a hard thing to do. Armin sways almost seductively alongside Eren, hands cupping his cheeks, trailing upward to his scalp. Eren's eyes are closed.

_Touching you feels so right._

_Let me..._

_Let me satisfy_.

Levi hears Erwin groan beside him, though if it's out of anger or _something else_ is unclear right now. The song starts to pick up, and when it does, both Armin and Eren squeeze in closer, and Eren's hands fly to Armin's hips, fingers hooking on to Armin's jeans' belt bands.

They move like they've done this before, elsewhere, like lovers -- like Mikasa and Sasha from the glimpses of their dancing that Levi's caught. Armin's hands slide through Eren's hair, and Eren's mouth parts as he grinds his crotch against Armin's. When Eren tries to throw his head back, Armin lets him, and then turns on his heel until his ass is rubbing against Eren's pants. Armin makes a show of the provocative position by throwing an arm behind him to pull Eren's face closer to him, until Eren's mouth finds the crook of his neck and starts planting kisses along his skin.

This should be fucking illegal.

Well. It is. Eren _is_ rolling, the only thing stopping him from grinding his teeth is the fact that his mouth is on Armin's neck.

And Armin is...

...Taken. Levi looks up at Erwin to gauge his reaction.

It's a strange one.

Levi thinks Erwin is biting his bottom lip, which, if it were any other situation on this earth, would indicate the man's pissed. But Erwin's eyes are _bright_ , nearly glossy, staring at the sight before them both with such an intensity, Levi feels like it's burning off _his_ clothing.

"Erwin?"

The man doesn't respond, still seemingly entranced by the sensual movements before him. Levi's gaze returns to the show, with Armin still rubbing his ass against his friend's crotch, too seductive, too damn _hot_ for this world. Levi wants to look away. He _needs_ to, because he can feel whatever resolve he has crumbling -- but what does that imply? If he keeps staring at them dancing - Armin spins back and runs his hands along Eren's neck - what will happen?

What will Levi do?

What does he _want_ to do?

The kick drum disappears, beat suspended. Both of them take a breather. All _four_ of them take a breather – and _where did the girls go_?

Eren leans in for a kiss, but Armin gives him his cheek and grins. Eren laughs, eyes looking like they're barely open. Armin backs up a little bit, and Erwin takes advantage of the movement, stepping in and sweeping the blond away.

_I can feel it tonight.... I know I'll catch your eye._

Eren isn't bothered by his friend's exit. He keeps laughing, grin painfully wide as he dances without any bass, can't stop chuckling to himself, spins languidly in place with a hand in his hair, and looks up at the ceiling. The crowd is loud, but Levi can't be bothered with them right now, waits until Eren sees it's just him now.

Eren sees him finally. Another loud laugh. The distance between their bodies is significant, several feet between them.

Eren lip-syncs. Again. He won't stop moving. His eyes are dilated, and practically rolling back into his head.

It shouldn't be attractive.

" _Let me._ "

He points a finger to Levi, much like the last time they saw each other.

" _Let me_..."

Levi swallows.

" _Let me... Let me satisfy_."

Levi exhales.  
  
Fuck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> more tracks: "we are the people" - empire of the sun, "scary monsters & sprites" - skrillex, "que que" - diplo & dillon francis, "express yourself" - diplo, "[gal where yuh come from](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27XrfYZIADw)" - nadastrom [the ONLY one i will link], "satisfy" - nero

**Author's Note:**

>  _tracklist for this ridiculous fic thus far:_ "noise" - bassnectar, "eyes on fire (zed's dead remix)" - blue foundation, "freak" - diplo and steve aoki, "star 69" - fatboy slim, "recess" - skrillex


End file.
